What is a charity chair?
The often unseen volunteers behind charity leadership
Charities and non-profits are led by trustees, a group of people who together are responsible for the governance, that is, the leadership and oversight, of the organisation. A chair is a trustee, like the others, but they take a leadership role of the board.
The majority of chairs, and trustees, are unpaid volunteers. It can be a challenging, rewarding role, and a big responsibility.
What is the role of a chair of trustees?
What the exact role looks like will depend on the organisation. After all, there is a huge variety of charities and non-profits. It is likely that in a small charity, a chair and the trustees might do more operational tasks, and get involved with the day to day running of the organisation. In a larger charity or non-profit, the chairing role is likely to be more removed from the day to day operations, and much more focused on strategy.
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A Chair’s Compass is a comprehensive guide to being a charity and non-profit chair, and it’s completely free to download.
Responsibilities of a charity chair
Oversight and governance
- Make sure the organisation remains focused on their charitable objects.
- Lead the board of trustees to make key strategic decisions in the organisation’s best interests.
- Lead the board in ensuring there is a financial strategy and oversight, and the organisation’s resources are managed responsibly.
- Make sure the organisation is operating in line with all the relevant laws such as charitable and company laws, and with its own governing document.
- Build an effective, diverse board that can work well together for the good of the organisation.
Working with trustees
The chair is not above the other trustees, but is often described as a “first among equals”. They don’t have additional powers in law. But they are there to lead the board to work together and reach good collective decisions, and manage any conflicts.
A chair will need to:
- Support trustees with development and one to one reviews.
- Help the board work as a team.
- Run board meetings, make sure they are minuted and actions circulated, and followed up.
- Ensure trustees are given the information they need to make decisions effectively.
- Recruit trustees, identifying any skills or knowledge gaps.
- Build a diverse board that functions in an accessible and inclusive way.
The chair – CEO relationship
Chairs also need to work with the CEO or senior executives of the organisation. The chair – CEO relationship is a crucial one to ensuring the effectiveness of a non-profit. The relationship should be one based on open communication, support, constructive challenge, and a willingness to work together for the good of the charity.
Chairs usually:
- Manage the relationship with the CEO and possibly other senior staff.
- Conduct the CEO appraisals and reviews and lead on their recruitment.
- Relate any concerns of the board to the senior leadership.
- Work with the CEO to make sure the board has all the information required to make strategic decisions.
Our Question of Balance guide is a comprehensive look at the chair – CEO relationship. Find out more on our resources page.
Chairs as ambassadors
The chair of a charity also may have an important ambassadorial or champion role. They may represent the organisation at events or in the media. For some charities, their chair will be their primary spokesperson.
Download a chair role description
Visit our templates page to find role descriptions to download.
What makes a good chair of trustees?
The qualities you need in a good chair will vary depending on what your board and organisation is like. The Future Charity Chair research project by Bayes Business School in 2024, which we were part of, came up with a number of qualities and skills for charity chairs.
Knowledge and skills
- Business and management skills around problem solving, good process and time management, staying focused.
- Good knowledge and understanding of the charity sector and relevant subsectors.
- Change and crisis management skills and some experience around managing risk, uncertainty and reputational threat.
- Ability to influence internally and externally in order to pursue the charity’s mission and purpose.
- Good understanding of what it means to be an employer including HR and the duty of care to staff, volunteers and trustees.
- Working knowledge and understanding of digital technology (including AI) and its relevance to the charity’s future.
- Good knowledge and understanding of governance, business models / finance/ funding, and charity regulation compliance.
- Ability to work with people from different backgrounds, outlooks and experience than the ones they are used to.
- Skills in foresight, and how to think about the future.
- Ability to develop and manage relationships with patrons; partners; trustees; staff and CEO; volunteers and people with lived experience.
- Working (rather than expert) knowledge on a range of topics such as volunteering, safeguarding, social and environmental impact.
- Relationship management skills that get the best out of all the skills and experience around the board table.
Leadership attributes
- Shows genuine interest and commitment to the charity cause.
- Supports trustees to come to firm collective decisions.
- Is a strategic thinker and future oriented.
- Leads with authenticity, showing vulnerability.
- Shows integrity through living the values of the charity in the way they lead.
- Is emotionally intelligent, listens, has empathy and can manage relationships with diplomacy.
- Inspires trust in others within and beyond the charity.
- Is confident, resilient, determined.
- Shows cultural understanding and willingness to explore ways of sharing power in decision-making.
- Listens and learns from others within and beyond the charity.
Chairing a charity – the positives and negatives
We know all about the ups and downs of chairing, and the good, the bad, and the ugly of charity governance. As with any role, chairing presents both difficulties and delights.
The benefits of being a chair
Being a chair is a uniquely rewarding role. It is a chance to be involved with the leadership of a cause you feel passionately about. It is a role that can lead to great personal growth and professional development. You’ll get to shape, support, and lead a team of trustees to work together to make a positive difference.
The downsides of being a chair
We know from our members, and from our own experiences, that chairing can be a very challenging role. Charities and non-profits are operating in a tough environment – there is increased demand and decreased funding. Chairs may have to make tough decisions, including merging or even closing their charities, or making redundancies.
Chairs may have to deal with difficult board dynamics, such as trustee disagreements, or may struggle to fill trustee vacancies.
Chairing is by no means an easy role, although it can be an incredibly rewarding one.
Chairing can be lonely, but you don’t have to do it alone. Find out about the support and community you can get with us.
How can I find a chairing role?
If all of the above has inspired you, and you want to look into being a charity chair, there are a number of places you could look to find a chairing role for you.
Support, development, and community for chairs
Chairing a charity can be challenging and rewarding. It is a unique volunteer role. To help you be the best chair you can be, we offer:
- A range of support services, such as one to one advice, online peer sessions, and co-mentoring.
- A collaborative community of fellow chairs and trustees to connect with.
- Bespoke resources about all aspects of chairing.
- Expert training and webinars for you to learn about chairing essentials and more.
- Opportunities to network, in person and online.